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Witch Hat Wagon: 1970 SAAB 95

1970-saab-95-wagon

With all the praise we heaped upon SAAB the other day, we knew we had to feature this 95 that Mark O. sent in. We were tempted to drag it home ourselves, but we thought we had better give our readers a chance. The seller claims that it is “pretty original” and that it runs and shifts fine. It obviously needs cosmetic attention, but if the rust isn’t too bad, their $1,800 asking price here on craigslist seems fair. Thanks Mark for the tip!

1970-saab-95-jump-seat

The 95 was much smaller than many of its wagon competitors, but with a rear-facing jump seat it could haul more people than it had any right to. With a lot of weight in the back things could get hairy, but the 95’s hauling capacity was superb considering their diminutive size.

1970-saab-95-v4

The first 95s were based off the two-stroke 93, but as that car evolved, so did the 95. It eventually gained the V4 used in the 96 and was the first SAAB be fitted with a four-speed. Erik Carlsson even used one in the 1961 Monte Carlo rally because of that extra gear. How many wagons have that kind of sporting pedigree?

1970-saab-95-rear

A reader once commented about the taillights on the 95, referring to them as witch hats. We doubt that is what SAAB engineers had in mind when they designed this versatile wagon, but we can see the resemblance. This may not be the car’s most flattering angle, but we love the mudflaps and the WSAABI license plate!

Comments

  1. Avatar Jim

    I owned one of these (the V4 version) . Lots of fun to drive.
    Witch hat?? Hmmm. I thought witch hat’s were pointy…..

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    • Avatar Jesse Staff

      Well, the fins around the lights are pointy…

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  2. Avatar twwokc

    Clean it up, sort it out and enjoy. Wouldnt spend a lot of time or money on it. Cool little wagon.

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  3. Avatar paul

    Good one doesn’t push as many buttons as the green coupe from a few weeks back but cool non the less I hope it finds a good home….. Nice Air Stream!

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  4. Avatar paul

    Oh & like the license plate VERY MUCH, being a fan sushi.

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  5. Avatar Ed Kaler

    Link for C/L = Page Not Found – Error 404

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    • Avatar Jesse Staff

      Thanks for catching that Ed. All fixed.

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  6. Avatar Don Andreina

    Go on Jesse. Looks like the perfect Equipe Mortensen tow vehicle.

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    • Avatar Jesse Staff

      I’m thinking rally support vehicle Don!

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  7. Avatar Mark E

    Looks pretty clean and the mechanicals are pretty bulletproof. I don’t know why but there were several of these in my home town in the late ’70s which had the tail lights replaced with trailer tail lights. Go figure.

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  8. Avatar jim s

    maybe good for ice racing, body already has the dents. would be a nice driver after a PI shows no rust. great find. again with what is the story on the car/trailer in the background.

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  9. Avatar Jamie Wallhauser

    Great little car for the money!! I’d clean it up a bit though.

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  10. Avatar Paul B.

    This appears to actually be a 1971-73 model. It has 1972-3 front bumper guards and it is painted the 1971-72 dark green. The side trim is also 1971 and later. It has the early wheels which were last used in 1971, though someone could have swapped them out as sometimes happens. These can be really good wagons, by the way, and you can replace the rear lever shocks with tube shocks; SAAB experts such as Jack Ashcraft can show you how. The structure seems solid, with no rust around the front suspension and spring mounts. V4 motors are pretty bulletproof, and the biggest worry would be the state of the gearbox, the weakest point on the car. I wish I could bring this one home, give it a little TLC and polishing, and make it into a nice survivor driver!

    Like 0
  11. Avatar Connor

    The only other wagon I can think of with racing pedigree is the 1994 Volvo 850 estate in the British Touring Car Championship.

    Like 0

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